bella + KATE

I'M LOVING THE COLLABORATION between Kate Spade and illustrator, Bella Foster... {her watercolours are gorgeous!}

Kate commissioned Bella to do her 2010 calendar - and then a handbag {the x-ray handbag} and some cosmetic cases - all very cute... shop the collection by clicking here...

You can also check out more about Bella by visiting behind the curtain @ katespade.com

happy WEEKEND

“Age does not protect you from love. But love, to some extent, protects you from age.”

―Jeanne Moreau

Have a great weekend and happy Halloween!!!!!

smokin' JENNIFER

HOW STUNNING DOES J-LO LOOK...? This is the best I've seen her in ages!

TO COPY HER SMOKIN' MAKE-UP: Rim your lids with a creamy slate black pencil - draw it directly over your lashline working from the inner corner outwards - and then top with a wash of silver/grey eyeshadow up to the crease. Add a hint of softness by brushing translucent silver shadow up to the brow bone - and dab a little in the corner of the eye. Finish by coating on your blackest black mascara. Keep your lips pretty neutral, maybe just a little pink gloss like Jen's!

friday FASHION FAVOURITES

I'M LOVING THIS SUMMER SELECTION from Little Joe NY...

You check out the hot summer selection by visiting www.LittleJoeNY.com

mid-week MUMMAS #2

WOWWA MUMMA... Jennifer, Gwen and Kate rock the red carpet this week!

{Loving the LBD's - all very different, all stunning!}

model MUM

YOU'VE PROBABLY HEARD that Sarah Murdoch has just gone au-naturel {no photo-shopping or re-touching off wrinkles} for the Women's Weekly November Cover - a first for the mag...

Sarah told AWW she doesn't like airbrushed photographs of herself. "I think when I'm retouched in photographs it's worse, because when people see me in real life, they go, 'Oh, God, isn't she old?," she told the magazine. "It makes me mad that we can't embrace the beauty of ageing, because we're all going to do it."

Her cover also coincides with the release of a national body image report that was prepared by a government-appointed advisory group chaired by Sarah, former Cosmopolitan magazine editor Mia Freedman {my old boss} and Girlfriend magazine editor Sarah Cornish.

The report has recommended a voluntary industry code of conduct be established to develop a national strategy on body image to encourage advertisers, the media and the fashion industry to promote more positive body image messages. It also recommends that, as part of the introduction of standardised sizing, the government consider consulting body image experts and the textile, clothing and footwear industry to ensure size labels do not encourage competitive weight loss. Yay, I say, about time!

The other news is that Sarah is pregnant with ther third bub - which will be a little playmate for Kalan, 5 and Aidan, 3. For more about Sarah, click here...

mid-week MUMMAS

A MIX OF MUMMAS AND THEIR BABES from the past week...

product of the WEEK - BOBBI BROWN'S shimmer brick

I'M A HUGE BOBBI BROWN FAN and think her Shimmer Bricks are genious. My fave at the moment is her new Limited Edition Platinum Pink Shimmer Brick she's just released for Spring. Read why...

THE PR BLURB: It has five colour bars – soft pink, platinum, bright pink, golden coral and rose – that blend together perfectly to light up the face. These shades work beautifully as highlight colours for cheeks or anywhere you want to add shimmer - and the special platinum bar is a great new shade for eyes.

BELLAMUMMA VERDICT: This is must-have for your make-up bag. It's seriously pretty and so easy to use. One brush over your eyes and cheeks gives you a bit of a sparkle and glow in a matter of seconds. {Perfection if you're sleep deprived!} It would also the perfect chrissie pressie for one of your besties {or, more importantly}, for yourself!

lilac EYES

LILAC AND PURPLE COLOURED EYE MAKE-UP IS BACK... as you can see from this gorgeous Versace Spring RTW backstage shot!

{Loving the hair too!}

HERE'S HOW TO GET THE LOOK: Wet a fine brush, dip in shadow, and dab gently along the top lashline, and below the bottom. Add a coat of black liner for extra definition. Finish with blackest black mascara.

This subtle super-soft look is an easy way to experiment with bold rainbow shades without going overboard.

pink ribbon DAY

TODAY IS PINK RIBBON DAY... Buy a pink ribbon and wear it to support the National Breast Cancer Foundation and all women affected by the disease - or visit www.thebreastcancersite.com where you can click to give free mammograms, sign their petition, send pink e-cards or shop all things PINK...

Every little thing helps!

pink BELLA by bellamumma on Polyvore.com

A little INSPIRATION for the new WEEK

happy WEEKEND

“I FINALLY REALISED that being grateful to my body was key to giving more love to myself.”

―Oprah Winfrey

{LOVE this outfit!}

Hope you have a 'sparkly' weekend!

bella NICOLE

HOW GORGEOUS IS THIS PIC OF NICOLE RICHIE?...

She has just 'tweeted' "WOO WOO" about it and posted it on her twitter page!

In a recent interview with People magazine {just six weeks after having Sparrow}, she said, “I couldn’t be happier. I’m right where I belong.”

“I’m glad I had a girl before I had a boy,” she added. “She just loves him so much.”

preen MAKE-UP

I ALSO LOVE THE MAKEUP at Preen's Spring 2010 RTW show... especially the eye make-up!

Remember {as I've mentioned in previous posts} white or silver eyeshadow, especially if it's shimmery, really makes the eyes stand out when you apply it to the inner corner of your eye.

friday FASHION FAVOURITE

THOUGHT I'D SHARE SOME GORGEOUS LITTLE SPRING DRESSES from one of my fave {Brit} designers, PREEN... you can check out the complete 2010 RTW range at www.style.com

glowing SKIN

THE EXPERTS AGREE: Your skin is a renewable organ, and you can definitely slow the aging process - and they say with a regimen, you can see a 30 to 40 percent improvement in two to three weeks. Here's some tips to add to your 'glowing' regime...

USE SPF 30 - it not only protects, it makes skin look younger. The skin has an incredible ability to heal itself once you start blocking UVA and UVB rays. You'll see an improvement in both texture and tone.

USE AN ANTIOXIDANT SERUM - vitamin C is the best but apply it at night because it's sun sensitive. Itwill brighten the skin, and it helps with skin damage and melasma. Other antioxidants to look for: vitamin E, resveratrol, and green tea.

USE SOME FORM OF RETINOL - you'll notice a real transformation with this ingredient. It smooths wrinkles, retexturizes, boosts collagen, and lightens spots.

EXFOLIATE - it increases dermal volume, making skin look less wrinkly and will also help brown spots. Use a physical exfoliant, like a scrub, or a chemical exfoliant, such as a glycolic peel.

{pic from gorgeous blog, THE BOTTOM OF THE IRONING BASKET}

mid-week MUMMAS #2

SOME MORE BELLA MUMMAS out and about this week sans babes... Black appears to be the new black! {Does Cate look like she's done something to her face?}

mid-week MUMMAS

ANOTHER DOSE OF CELEB MUM AND BABE pix from the past week... {Two pix of Gwen! Not that I'm obssessed!!!}

grown-out CROPS

IT ONLY SEEMS LIKE A MINUTE AGO THAT VICTORIA BECKHAM had super-short hair... now she has this gorgeous razored-bob - which has really softened her look!

If you're growing out a short 'do and want to avoid the awkward growing-out stage, the trick is to have your hair trimmed every couple of weeks. {Yes, the complete opposite to what you'd expect you should do when growing your hair!}

Ask your stylist to trim your hair into the shape you're aiming for, but leave the length on the top. And keep your final result in mind as your hair grows so you don’t give up or get frustrated.

a little INSPIRATION for the new WEEK

A LITTLE INPIRATION FOR YOUR {MY} WEEK from one of my fave blogs ACCORDING TO NICKY...

{Nicky thanks for all your lovely comments and messages - they don't go unmissed! x}

happy WEEKEND

“FASHION IS NOT SOMETHING THAT EXISTS in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.”
―Coco Chanel

Enjoy your weekend!

day & NIGHT

WOOWWA MUMMA...

Halle Berry last Thursday, natural-faced during the day - and super-sexy in the evening!

What a hot bod?

{pix from justjared.com}

friday FASHION FAVOURITE

MY FASHION FAVE THIS WEEK is emersonmade.com. I just love everything they do, especially this outfit - {this look has always been one of my faves - very Bridget Bardot!} I also love that each emersonmade piece is hand-crafted, totally unique, and they say 'has it's own little soul, just for you'. The flowers are just exquisite!

Take a peek for yourself @ emersonmade.com or visit their blog - I'm sure you'll find something you love...

PS. I've changed FRIDAY FASHION FAVOURITES just a little since introducing MID-WEEK MUMMYS - where you can now see celebs and their babes!

wine & CHOCOLATE

I THINK JENNIFER GARNER IS A KINDRED SPIRIT after reading this quote in Instyle mag...

"I always quiz Reese [Witherspoon] about how she does it," Garner says about balancing her family life with her career. "I feel like she does a really good job."

These days the 37-year-old mum—who's often spotted at parks and playgrounds with her kids—seems to have mastered the balancing act pretty well herself.

How does the actress destress when she's feeling overwhelmed? "I have a glass of wine with a girlfriend," Garner says. "I wish I meditated, but it's wine and chocolate. Let's face the facts!"

Love it!

bye bye BRASSY

IF YOU HAVE BLONDE {BLEACHED} HAIR that tends to go brassy, I've found the perfect toner for you... Decore's Blonde Toner!

THE PR BLURB: Decore Blonde Toner is specially formulated to neutralise and eliminate unwanted brassy yellow/gold tones in lightened or naturally blonde hair whilst maintaining the intensive shine of your hair.

BELLAMUMMA'S VERDICT: I've tried heaps of toners, treatments and toning shampoos/conditioners and this is by-far the best. It tones newly bleached - or old bleached - hair to a soft baby blonde - and doesn't go nanna purple or grey.

mid-week MUMMAS #2

MORE CELEB-MUMS AND TOTS out and about this week...

{pix from justjared.com}

extra-long THICK LASHES

AS YOU PROBABLY KNOW BY NOW I'm obsessed with thick, long eyelashes {and addicted to my LOVE THOSE LASHES lash extensions} - so I was pretty impressed when I found this trick at Instyle.com!

They say the trick to faking dense lashes is to dust your lashes with translucent powder before curling them and adding mascara. It makes them look bigger and longer, and gives the mascara something to cling to.

If this sounds all a bit too tricky/messy, you could also try ModelCo's Fiber Lash which works along the same lines... click here for all the details!

You can't go past lash extensions though, no-maintenance and long lashes all day, every day!

mid-week MUMMAS #2

A MID-WEEK MIX OF CELEB bellaMUMMAS - and their very-cute babes...